Joining

"Brother Wu!" Chu Tian hurried over with Lu Qing and greeted him warmly.

Yang Wu and the others immediately stood up as well.

"Captain!"

Everyone hurriedly called out to him.

Yang Wu didn't say anything, because he didn't know what he was supposed to call him.

"Captain!" Wu Tong glanced at Lu Qing behind Chu Tian and asked with a smile, "When are we going to celebrate your wedding?"

"Haha..." Chu Tian laughed happily. "Soon, soon! When the time comes, Brother Wu, you'll have to prepare a big wedding gift for me!"

"No problem!" Wu Tong laughed too.

Chu Tian still didn't ask about Yang Wu right away. Instead, he chatted cheerfully with Wu Tong and the others about old times.

Yang Wu simply stood to one side, quietly listening.

Seeing how Yang Wu behaved, Chu Tian nodded to himself.

Most of the talented young martial artists these days had a bit of an arrogant streak. Yang Wu had been left waiting on the sidelines, yet remained perfectly quiet. That alone gave Chu Tian a favorable impression of him.

However, that favorable impression, even combined with Wu Tong's personal favor, wasn't enough for Chu Tian to immediately accept Yang Wu into the squad. He still had to consider the safety of every squad member.

"Little brother, your name's Yang Wu, right?"

Chu Tian, who had been chatting with Wu Tong and the others, suddenly turned to ask Yang Wu.

Everyone who had been chatting fell silent for a moment. They seemed to have forgotten Yang Wu was even there.

Yang Wu, of course, didn't freeze. He hurriedly replied, "Yes, I'm Yang Wu!"

Wu Tong came to his senses as well and quickly said, "That's right, this is Yang Wu."

Chu Tian waved a hand to signal everyone to be quiet, then asked Yang Wu, "Yang Wu! Brother Wu recommended you. I can give you a chance to join Phantom Squad. But in a moment, you'll have to spar with either Wang Zhi or Brother Zheng. If you can earn everyone's approval, you can stay! Don't worry, they absolutely won't use more strength or speed than you can handle."

Chu Tian's tone was perfectly calm, yet he had an air of absolute authority.

Although Wu Tong had recommended Yang Wu, Chu Tian would never casually bring him into Phantom Squad.

Martial artist squads were constantly heading in and out of the Wilderness Area, always walking the line between life and death. If they rashly took on a useless burden, he might drag down the entire squad.

Yang Wu glanced at Wu Tong, then at the other members of Phantom Squad. He nodded slowly and said, "No problem!"

"Then, who do you want to choose?"

Seeing that Yang Wu had accepted his terms, Chu Tian watched him with interest.

Wang Zhi and Zheng Tao were evenly matched in strength, but their fighting styles were completely different. Moreover, Zheng Tao and Wu Tong were sworn brothers who had been through life and death together. He might secretly go easy on Yang Wu.

The others had thought of that, and Yang Wu had too. So, without hesitation, he said, "If it's all right, I'd like Brother Wang to give me some pointers."

Then Yang Wu quietly watched Wang Zhi and Chu Tian.

Wang Zhi had already walked over. After seeing the captain give a slight nod, he said nothing and went straight to one side of the Martial Arts Training Hall, where he picked up the War Blade and shield he had set down earlier.

Yang Wu silently walked over to the weapons rack as well.

"Yang Wu, good luck!" Wu Tong called from the sidelines. He had brought Yang Wu here because he naturally wanted him to join Phantom Squad.

Yang Wu nodded. He reached the weapons rack, let his gaze move over it for a moment, then chose a Pojun-series spear.

The spear was silver-white from end to end, cool to the touch, and its tip gleamed with a chilling light.

"What a fine spear!"

Yang Wu hadn't bought any weapons or equipment yet, and the Extreme Martial Arts Hall in Yi'an District hadn't had any weapons that suited him. This was the first time he had seen such a fine weapon.

But this was the Extreme Martial Arts Hall's headquarters in Jiangnan Base City. There were plenty of War God Level powerhouses here, so naturally, they had a full selection of weapons and equipment.

As Yang Wu gripped the Pojun Spear, his entire bearing changed.

"Brother Wang, please go easy on me!" Yang Wu walked onto the training ground and bowed slightly to Wang Zhi.

Wang Zhi didn't say anything. He merely nodded, signaling Yang Wu to make the first move.

Boom!

The instant Wang Zhi nodded, Yang Wu attacked.

His spear thrust straight for Wang Zhi's chest, charging like a galloping horse and moving as fast as lightning.

Wang Zhi stayed perfectly still. He tilted the shield in his left hand slightly and, from an unbelievable angle, knocked Yang Wu's deadly thrust aside.

Whoosh!

The instant the two passed each other, Wang Zhi struck with his blade.

His move was vicious. Using the shield as cover to hide his attack, Wang Zhi slashed at Yang Wu's neck.

"Haha, Wang Zhi's blade technique has improved again!"

"Yeah, it's good to be young!"

The Phantom Squad members watching from the sidelines chatted among themselves.

As for the two fighters' safety, with the captain there, they had nothing to worry about.

Yang Wu wasn't the least bit flustered. He simply raised his left hand and used the shaft of his spear to block Wang Zhi's killing blow.

Clang!

The War Blade slammed hard into the spear shaft. Yang Wu and Wang Zhi each staggered back a few steps, then advanced again, trading blows as they fought.

"This kid's good! His spear technique is clearly more than just barely reaching Specialist Level!"

Everyone there was an elite among War General Level martial artists. How could they fail to see the skill in Yang Wu's spear technique?

"Great talent! His spear technique has reached this level at just twenty-four. Captain, keep him on. With some more training, he'll become another powerful fighter who can hold his own!" Zheng Tao said excitedly.

Chu Tian didn't say anything. He simply continued watching the two fight in the training ground.

Just then, the situation suddenly changed.

Yang Wu gave the spear in his hands a slight twist, then thrust it forward at an astonishing speed. Wang Zhi had already used up the force behind his last attack, so all he could do was block with his shield.

But the moment the shield touched Yang Wu's spear, the twisting force knocked it aside.

In his desperation, Wang Zhi could no longer afford to hold back. His Intermediate War General Level strength exploded, and the War Blade in his right hand suddenly accelerated, slashing hard at the shaft of Yang Wu's spear.

"Watch out!"

Wang Zhi's sudden burst of strength shocked everyone.

At that critical moment, two throwing knives suddenly flew out from Chu Tian, striking toward the weapons of Yang Wu and Wang Zhi.

With two sharp clangs, the knives knocked both weapons aside.

"A-Zhi, you've lost!" Chu Tian walked over slowly. The throwing knives flew back on their own into the pocket on his shin guard. "Apologize to Yang Wu!"

Wang Zhi had already come to his senses. He quickly said, "Brother Yang Wu, I was in the wrong this time. I'll treat you to a meal later."

He had just been in danger. Even though he knew the captain was watching, he had still instinctively unleashed all his strength. If the captain hadn't been there, he might really have hurt Yang Wu.

"Brother Wang, your blade technique is impressive. I'll have to ask you for more pointers in the future!" Yang Wu said with a slight smile.

Wang Zhi had only struck at his Pojun Spear, clearly holding back. Even if their weapons had collided, Yang Wu would have suffered only a minor injury.

"Yang Wu, welcome to Phantom Squad!"

Chu Tian held out his right hand to Yang Wu. He had a feeling that Yang Wu's arrival would bring Phantom Squad a pleasant surprise.

"So that means he's accepted?"

Wu Tong, standing to one side, smiled as well.

"Haha, Brother Yang, we're squadmates from now on!" Zhou Zheng and the others congratulated him too.